


Let's Get To Heaven

by Pulsing_GUTS



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Enemies for like ten minutes, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Runaway AU, Slow Burn, no beta we die like men, sorta??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:28:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27301204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pulsing_GUTS/pseuds/Pulsing_GUTS
Summary: When Darryl took a step out of his front door, he knew he wasn’t going to return to that house ever again. It had taken him months to build up the courage to leave without permission from his parents. Even though he was a grown adult, he still had to ask before doing certain actions. Leaving the house was one of them.Or,Darryl runs away from home for more than one reason.
Relationships: Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 21
Kudos: 161





	1. Let's Get Away

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this do be my first ever fic though hgkhdfs...,, i never write like this but I will say I'm having fun.

  
  


\-------------------

  
  
  


When Darryl took a step out of his front door, he knew he wasn’t going to return to that house ever again. It had taken him months to build up the courage to leave without permission from his parents. Even though he was a grown adult, he still had to ask before doing certain actions. Leaving the house was one of them.

But today, he had enough. He packed his backpack with his belongings to the point where the zipper nearly busted as he tried closing it together. Heading down from the stairs, he gave a silent prayer to the crucifix hanging on the wall of the hallway, praying that he would be safe on his travels somewhere. Once the door opened, he inhaled slowly, letting the thoughts in the back of his head resurface. 

He wasn’t sure if this was the right choice. Would leaving fix anything? Would it make him happier? 

His mind was a mess, a swarm of difficult plans circulating and dizzying him. Should he go back? Maybe he should, he’s much too familiar with his life back in that house, he’s never done something like this before- leaving, out of nowhere. With no final goodbye or any sign of it happening. Darryl’s hand gripped at his backpack’s strap, tightening it and holding his breath. He felt light-headed, this was a do now or never moment. 

Would this really make him happier?

  
  


\-----------------

_“You didn’t say your blessing.”_

_“Right, sorry—”_

_“Don’t apologize, just do better.” His father said sternly, glaring sharp daggers at his own kin. He raised his hand and had it come crashing down on the dinner table, utensils rattling as he did so. The sudden noise made Darryl wince, lowering his head in shame and gripping the edge of his chair with white knuckles. “You’re already pushing things around here just by living under my roof, you understand I didn’t have to take you in, right?”_

_“Yes.” He replied instantly._

_“God gave you a second chance, without Him you’d be dead. So, before meals you pray to Him, and you give Him your thanks for His earnest. Before bed, you pray. When you wake up, when we visit our church, and so on so forth. Am I making myself clear?” He said with a rough voice, scratchy and old, the years of smoking is making it evident through his vocals._

_“Yes,” Darryl replied again, raising his eye to meet his father’s eyes. “May I be excused?” He mumbled, trying to swallow down his fears._

_“You may.” He huffed, picking up his fork and jamming it into overcooked steak._

_Darryl shifted, he got up from his seat and gave a small bow to his father, who only shooed him away like a dog. Darryl turned on his heel quickly, walking out the dining room with creaking floorboards under his feet. He left to his room upstairs and curled up in his bed, weighted blankets over him and a pillow covering his quiet sobs._

\------------------

  
  


The world was silent, for a moment, maybe it was just for him. Darryl lowered his gaze to his feet. 

He thinks, maybe he will feel happier if he did this.

The sun was descending behind the buildings that towered in front of him, it was only a little windy out today. His bangs were drifting and flying over his eyes, having him constantly brush them away from his gaze. It was beginning to get a little cold too, the cold breeze giving his freckled face icy light kisses, the hoodie over his body would provide him warmth however not for long as it wasn’t made for such conditions. If he wanted to go, he would have to go now, before the sun fully set and before the wind picked up in harshness. 

His feet began moving on their own, starting off as slow hesitant steps before picking up into a fast-paced jog. Darryl left the house with no warning, no note, no goodbye. One day he was there and the next he wasn’t. 

It was for the best, anyway.

\---------------

  
  
  


Darryl had no clue where he was actually venturing. Sure, he wanted to get away from his parents, but he didn’t know where he could go. He didn’t have people he knew well enough to ask if he could crash at their place, and he also didn’t want to bother anyone about it. 

He was aimlessly walking forward down the streets, smelling the muggy air and letting the few drops of rain come crashing down on his hair. So far, the rain had been friendly enough to hold back its heavy showers for a few hours. By the time it was fully dark out, he would be stuck in the pouring pools, that’s something Darryl wasn’t looking forward to. 

What he needed was a bus stop to rest under, that or maybe if he was lucky enough a cheap motel he could book a room in. Those two things shouldn’t be hard to find, but the problem was Darryl didn’t recognize his surroundings here. He had no map, and he abandoned his phone at his house, not wanting to give his parents any potential ways of finding him. 

With a heavy huff, Darryl begins walking a little faster on the sidewalk, he weasels his way past people and gives a quiet apology each time he fails and bumps into someone walking past. There weren’t many people out due to the oncoming storm, so he was thankful for that.

There was someone who brushed past him, a tan-skinned man with a bright electric blue hoodie and matching beanie, Darryl actually bumping him into him pretty hard. Hard enough that the man stumbled on his footing and fell forward to his stomach, crashing into a puddle that definitely soaked him. Darryl was quick, he kneeled beside the man and frantically moved his hands, nervous and also devastated at his own clumsiness of not noticing the other behind him. “ _Oh my gosh_ , are you okay sir? I— oh no, I-I didn’t see you there-” He sputtered out, trying to collect his words to formulate a coherent sentence. “Are you alright?”

The man under him began to sit up, his arms extending out and pushing him above the puddle. He groaned and shook his head, wild raven hair flying around him. “M’fine.” He grumbles, lifting his head and meeting Darryl’s gaze. “I’m good!” Almost instantly after, his lips curled up into a toothy smile. Darryl let out a noise similar to a balloon deflating, he wasn’t so sure this guy was ‘good’ after a fall like that.

“Goodness, your clothes— _aghh_ … I’m so sorry about this, I-”

“What? My clothes are fine, hey, don’t worry about this okay? I gotta run-”

_“R-Run?_ No no, look if there’s anything I—”

Within an instant, the blue hoodied man shot up from the ground, he turned to have his back face, Darryl. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m _fiiiine_. Be more careful though, stranger.” He spoke while quickly rushing away, leaving Darryl crouching still with a look of absolute disbelief. He wasn’t sure if the other man was possessed or not, he hoped he wasn’t…

His emerald gaze drifted downward, to the puddle where the other once was. He sighed and began standing too, however stopping upon seeing the bright blue beanie laying face down in the puddle.

Oh no.

Without much thinking, he picked it up and began sprinting after him. Frantically calling and waving his hands about. “I-I think- I think you—” He wheezed, trying to keep up with the man ahead of him, why in the world was he running so fast for? Darryl could hardly keep up with him! 

  
  


Darryl was able to catch the quick glance back the other man did as he started chasing after, he scrunched up his face, why was he still running? Was the other really in a rush for something? Stubborn, Darryl kept going, he was a sweet boy who loved doing good deeds. It was a part of his nature, so there’s no way in hell he was going to stop his streak of being a delightful angel. 

“ _Please—!!_ Please, I have- have your-” He wheezed more. His build was small and thin, fragile looking. Darryl looked like he was glass ready to bust at any rough touch. He was never active, never once did he do well in physical ed. His legs were shaky as he ran, his chest rising and falling faster than his mind could think. Lightheaded, he slowed down.

“Sir, oh my gosh, I have y-your hat! W-Would you mind slowing down?” He called out in a hoarse voice.

It must’ve been God’s doing, but the other man turned and slid into an alleyway. Perfect! There were fewer people down that way, and maybe, he could finally get his attention! He followed promptly, sliding a little on the wet ground from the light shower of rain starting to come down. Gosh, now he really had to speed things up here.

His shoes were far from clean, mud was building up under the soles of his feet and what were once white shoe strings were now a light shade of brown. His hair resembled an amateur bird nest, poking out in different directions with few strands sticking to his forehead as he sweats heavily. Before he left his house he was dressed neatly, white-collar with slicked hair and shiny dress shoes. Now, he looked like a hooligan on the street, dirty and sweaty. Oh, how he prayed for a room with running hot water for a shower.

Upon entering the alleyway, he was struck with… nothing. There was no sign of the other, he came to a halt, dumbfounded. Darryl took a few glances behind himself, maybe he thought wrong? No, that...couldn’t be right. In his time of pondering, he took this opportunity to catch his breath. Nearly buckling over himself, he placed his hands at his knees and wheezed harder, he remembered the words of his physical ed teacher, always stretch before doing heinous activities… activities like these. Mentally, he hit himself for forgetting the simplest of things. 

He rose up slowly, throwing his head back and letting the rain fall gracefully down on his face. This was something he had never done before, and for some odd reason, he felt calm. His speeding heart settled back to normal beats, he fell down from his adrenaline rush. Now he could think properly.

After the short break, he began walking forward slowly. Eyes darting around the eerie alleyway. It smelled awfully rancid, there were trash bags spilled open and roaches crowding all over. Each step he took was crunchy sounding, he wasn’t sure if it was gravel or the mass of bugs moving about under him. He had really hoped it was gravel. 

Halfway through the alleyway, he could see the street. Darryl couldn’t help but frown, he must’ve miscalculated where the other went. Darn, he felt defeated, but he didn’t feel that bad, he tried his best to return the item. Speaking of that, Darryl took a closer look at it in his hands, fumbling around with it and brushing his thumb across what he noticed to be a small face. But it was weird-looking, with small dotted eyes and a mouth with what looked like to be a tongue poking out of the side. It was a little cute, honestly… a small smile crept on his face as he stared at it more, twisting and turning it around. 

His eyes widened, spotting something on the inside of the hat. Written in what he assumed to be sharpie, was a… name? 

“Ske—”

A rush of footsteps echoed behind him along with a loud high pitched yell, Darryl not sure if it was his own voice or someone else’s. He turned his head quickly and stumbled back as he noticed a running figure come dashing closer to him.

“H-Hey- wait- wait—” He voiced his protests, but was ultimately ignored. A small click and before he even knew there was a blade pressed close to his face, within a matter of seconds he paled at the sight.

The same boy from before had him cornered in the alleyway with a knife up against his cheek, both of them heavily panting. This was very unfortunate for Darryl. Maybe he should’ve stayed home.

“Look, kid.” The other started off, voice angry and booming. He startled and sent shivers down Darryl’s spine. “I’m not giving back your fucking wallet, _okay?_ So you better turn around and go back to where you came from. If you even think, of calling the cops, I will fucking _kill you_.” 

_What—?_

“Wh-What?” Darryl squeaked out. This was a lot to take in, he wasn’t even prepared for this! Wallet? What wallet? He had his wallet on… 

Ah.

“Y-You took my wallet?” He raised his voice, which was a bad move, the blade was pressed at his cheek more in return of his loudness. Darryl made a quick note to himself, don’t get loud when someone has a weapon pointed at you, and especially not when being threatened by said weapon. “I-I— you- I didn’t know you had my _wallet!_ ” He sputtered all at once, he felt horrible for tripping over his words right now. He needed to focus and to settle this… confusion.  
  
The other male gives him a skeptical look, he wasn’t buying whatever Darryl was trying to throw at him. “Shut up, you fucking knew. That’s why you were chasing me asshole, you made me hide behind a God damn dumpster just to get away from your ass.” He hissed out through gritted teeth.  
  
“N-No, no no… th-that’s not why I was chasing—”  
  
“Then why? Hm? _Come on,_ fucking spit it out already!”  
  
“ _I just wanted to return your hat!_ ” Darryl cried out, impulsively he shoved the hat towards the other man’s chest. Which is once again, another bad move on his part. Darryl felt a sharp sting forming on his face, causing him to hiss loudly in pain. His legs finally gave out and he was sent crashing down on his knees to the cold and wet concrete. That also hurt. 

When Darryl shoved the other, the man in the teal hoodie lost a little of his balance, a hand slip and the blade cut across his cheek. It was a nasty scar, one that would probably remain for ages. Shit.

A crack of thunder erupted through the sky, and almost on cue, it began pouring harder than before. Soaking them both in freezing cold showers, both of their eyes shot up at the sky in reply. Darryl’s eyes widened, his pupils enlarging and his teeth biting down on the bottom of his lip… he had done wrong. Darryl curled in on himself after throwing his head down in shame, his knees pressing against his heaving chest. He trembled like a caged animal, frightened by everything life has to offer him. The Lord hadn’t blessed him enough that day, and it painfully showed at this moment. When everything went wrong, his kindness was taken as hostility and his impulsive thinking had gotten him hurt. He wasn’t cut out for this, he wanted to go home again.

The standing man stared helplessly down at him, a loss for words. Darryl could hardly see him anymore, tears and rain covering his vision. His face was wet and stained, and he was weakly attempting at stopping the blood flow from the deep graze. However it was useless, he was useless. He tucked his hands under himself, shivering in the downpour.

The man before him kneeled, Darryl thought this was it, one blow to the back of his neck with that blade and he would be sent up to the Heavens where he hoped he belonged. That, or either under, for his blasphemous act of leaving his parents with no final goodbye, possibly worrying them to death. He wasn’t sure where he would go when his time was up, he was afraid to even think about it.

A gentle, cold hand touched the top of his head. “Hey, dude..” 

Darryl refused to look up and meet the man’s gaze which was more than likely looking down at him with shame and possible disgust.

“You wanna get out of the rain?” The voice was soft and gentle, it reminded him of his mother when he was younger. She was a nice woman, for the most part.

The brunette looked up slowly, glasses tilted on his face, and stained from his own tears. The lower half of his face was pink from the rushing blood. 

He gave a short nod. “ _P-Please.._ ” He whimpered.

Darryl could tell the other man wasn’t used to being this kind. It read all over his face. The uneasy look, the hesitancies in his touches, and the constant avoidance of eyes. Darryl was appreciative of the attempt, even if he might’ve been a little forced on. “Okay, well... Get your ass up then. I’m gonna get sick and so are you.” He commanded, his voice no longer as gentle as it was, this time it was more confident and bold. 

Nonetheless, he gathered up his strength and began to push himself up from the puddle that had formed under him. His footing was awful, and as he tried to stand he slid his foot back farther than wanted, slipping in the rain and crashing into a building face first. 

_Crack._

Not only did his glasses crush under his face, but so did his consciousness. It might’ve been the final draw from his tired body, he was gone in seconds and sliding down the wall until the other man quickly hoisted him up. “Fucking hell dude!” He snorted.

The weather was ruthless, so was the Earth and the things living on it. However, even if there was the smallest of evil and pain amongst him, there was also kindness and purity. 

The man who had just cut his cheek was now holding him close and carrying him out of a dirty alleyway. Darryl knew he didn’t have to, he had never asked nor begged for it. He was shown kindness from someone he hardly saw before, and he didn’t know why. But he was blessed. Maybe the Lord did watch over him with mercy that day. 

  
  


Left in the alleyway were cracked glasses, shattered entirely, and crushed into mangles. To an average person, it would look like trash, but to Darryl, it’s the palpable form of a happy memory. He hasn’t had one of those in a while, but knew there would be many more to come.

  
  


\----------------------

By the time Darryl had awoken, the storm outside was clearing up. The skies still cried their tears but it wasn’t as hard as before, he couldn’t help but be thankful that there weren’t any loud sudden sounds of booming thunder and quick flashes of lightning. He enjoyed the rainy weather and loved sleeping during the storms, but now was different.

Sitting up slowly, he pressed a hand to his face as it ached in pain. His eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to adjust to the lighting in the room…

Wait, that’s not right, he shouldn’t be in a room right now!

Darryl’s eyes widened, his breathing sped as he began darting his head in different directions. This wasn’t his room, he could tell the minute he actually took a moment to take in the surroundings. There were no pale-colored walls, no pristine white carpet, no flashing monitors, or anything. Instead, his eyes were met with raggedy curtains blowing by a half-opened window and what looked to be a worn wooden floor. Darryl could spot at least four different sized holes in it, his face wrinkled. 

A cluster of used dishes and bowls laid around, the entire place felt stuffy and cluttered with things. Overwhelming...

Now, his mind was beginning to flood with intrusive thoughts, consisting of where he was and how he actually got there. He doesn’t remember walking here, he never reached a motel or any shelters after he left home. No one gave him a ride either, all he could remember was—

His attention is pulled quickly by a creaking sound and an opening of a door, there would emerge a fellow with familiar wild raven locks and obviously bright teal on their body. They held a napkin in both their hands with something in it, Darryl couldn’t tell exactly what it was- but not that it matters to him, this man was familiar! That’s right, he was mugged in an alleyway and cut too before passing out from complete exhaustion. Wow, good times. Except it wasn’t a good time, he was very well still upset from the entire thing.

It took a minute before the other man noticed Darryl awake in bed, they froze and stared back with a surprised look. “Well good morning sleepyhead—”

“Where am I?” Darryl rushed out, tensing his muscles and scrunching his face more. “Wh-Who...even are you?”

The opposing man just gave a quiet snicker, he stepped forward closer to place down the napkin at Darryl’s lap. “I’m not going to hurt you, you need to eat. Also, you’re out of the storm, so now I’ll be awaiting my thanks.” He crossed his arms, sounding oddly smug.

Darryl hesitated, he flinched in response when given the napkin. However, curiously he eyed at it and tugged a corner of it to get a look of what was in it. Inside was a variety of different types of cheez-its. Darryl only knew this because of the color and also texture, some were a lot brighter and perfectly square. While the others seemed to be lighter in color and smaller with tiny designs on them. 

It’s a shame though, Darryl wasn’t even the smallest bit of hungry. But, just to be a little nice, he took a few pieces and went on to snack at them. Hold on...

“A-Are these stale?” He raised an eyebrow. The taste was…. different...to put it nicely. 

“Only by half a week, they’re still good!” The other man chirped back, now putting his weight to the bed and laying down over Darryl’s legs. “Anyways, cutting to the chase. M’names Skeppy, okay? And you’re currently in my room in a house that I share with a few other people too.” He said casually, now drifting his eyes to look towards his nails.  
  
“In the alleyway, you slipped and slammed into the wall which fucking obliterated you, dude you got knocked the fuck out. After that, I carried you here, because if I didn’t you were more than likely gonna die out there. Also cause I felt a little bad about the misunderstanding we had, but all’s good now!” ‘Skeppy’ finished off with a bubbly laugh, his eyes traced back to Darryl, who was completely starstruck by the entire explanation. Just as he opened his mouth, Skeppy spoke up once more.

“Wait wait, hold on I almost forgot to give this back.” He sat up in the bed quickly, crossing his legs together and having his hand fish in his pockets for something. Darryl was tense again, he wasn’t ready for a knife surprise like last time. So when Skeppy drew his hand out of his pockets in a quick motion, Darryl couldn’t help but flinch even harder than before, his arms raised up to cover his face and shield him from whatever dangerous weaponry the other man would pull out on him.

When nothing happened, Darryl slowly lowered his arms, just enough to peek over them and spot his wallet. It was a decent-sized one, not entirely thick but definitely had some good money inside of it. The outside of it was rather...cute... It had a silhouette of a muffin on it with angel wings sprouted from its sides and a halo floating above. 

“I took this when we bumped into each other, which was entirely on purpose too if you hadn’t figured it out yet. It’s why I ran off soooooo fast, but here, take it back.” He nudged it at Darryl’s chest.

“I-I don’t… understand... Why are you—”

“I said it’s because I feel bad, do you want it or not? I’ll gladly fucking take it back, dude.”

“Wh- no no I do- also watch your mouth!” He scoffed, quickly snatching back the wallet and holding it close to his chest. “Thank you, but I’m still very upset. You also cut my cheek.” He raised a hand to point at the scar.

Skeppy had just stared at him in silence, tilting his head to the side and blinking slowly. Darryl was confused. He pressed his hand at his cheek and felt the light brush of a bandage, how had he not noticed before? He sputtered, in disbelief. “You patched it for me?!” He voiced loudly.

“Well yeah, I wasn’t going to let it bleed then get infected. Who do you take me for?” Skeppy rolled his eyes, shuffling along the bed and standing up to the floor. “Listen, kid, I did you a favor as an apology for our mixup. You gave me back my favorite hat, so I repaid you by taking care of you for the night.” He sighed out heavily, stretching his arms out and up above himself.

“And because you literally won’t last a day on the streets on your own, I’ll make sure you find somewhere to stay for the next few days. Cause if you die I’m gonna feel really fucking bad—”

“My goodness, language.” 

“What?” Skeppy snorted, giving Darryl a look of confusion. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”  
  
“You keep telling me to watch my mouth whenever I say a curse, why do you do that?” 

Darryl remained silent on that, the truth was he had a few reasons why, however, the main one was because of his folk at home. Always giving him serious discipline whenever he didn’t filter himself, a shiver ran down his spine as he swallowed thickly. He had upset his mother once when he cursed, the woman who he saw as a figure blessed from the sky above had never been more ruthless when he slipped up. Darryl licked his lips, he could practically still taste the detergent from that day many years back. 

The Gods must have heard his silent prayers because Skeppy shook his head and muttered a ‘whatever’ before he continued speaking on. “Anyways, I never got your name. What is it?”

Darryl moved his gaze away, another question he didn’t want to answer truthfully. He gave a light shrug, trying to avoid saying it. “It doesn’t matter.” Skeppy groaned loudly, a hand of his ran through his raven hair. Brushing aside strands that were falling in his face, Darryl was able to catch smaller details on the other as he did so. Interesting...

“Look man, I gotta call you by something. A real name or not, call yourself whatever, I go by Skeppy but it obviously isn’t a real name. So just, make something up or I will.” 

“Ah— okay, how about um… Saint?” He looked back to Skeppy, wearing a nervous smile.

“Uh, no. That’s just weird.” He laughed with a shake of his head. Darryl, was offended. “Weird?! Your name is weirder than that, okay how about you just pick then.” He gave up very quickly, his mind wasn’t in a creative mood for all this.

“Fine, I will… Badboyhalo—”

“Okay, you’re kidding me now.” Seriously, he wasn’t allowed to go with Saint but Badboyhalo was a good name instead? Darryl seriously questioned this other guy, ‘Skeppy’, he couldn’t tell if he was getting his leg pulled or not by him.

“Yeah, cause like. You’re a bad boy from running away, but also a halo because you’re nice as shit—”

“Language, please.”

“—so like, it makes sense right?”

No, he thought to himself, it really doesn’t. Darryl just shrugged. “Whatever, just say Bad or Halo for short then.” He faintly laughed, a small smile being crept onto his face. “Hey wait, how’d you know I was a runaway?” 

“Well, for starters, I’ve seen you before dude.” He laughed louder, rubbing the side of his face and calming down. “You live down the street by the church and I see you go every Sunday for the service when I’m on my walks around the area, you also have a lack of street smarts. You’re like, a baby dude.”

“Wha- a baby? No! Absolutely not, I can handle myself well, I don’t need street smarts. I just… need to get away from my parents and live on my own, that’s all.”

“Yeah okay, whatever you say Badboyhalo~” He coos at him as he lifted himself off the wall. “Look, we can talk more later. I have to go talk with the others about this, so… just stay there, okay? Or not, honestly, I don’t care that much, no one’s gonna stop you if you choose to run out of here.” Skeppy sighed, calmly. He placed his hand at the doorknob and pulled it open.

Darryl was able to catch the light sounds of distant chattering, he could barely just make out the faint glowing light from down the hall. He glanced at Skeppy, nervous-looking still, however, he nodded at him understandingly. He was still uneasy, being somewhere with someone he barely knows. Yet this person didn’t seem too..iffy. Skeppy helped him out the alleyway, gave him a bed, patched his face, and also returned his wallet. It was all surprising but he was more than thankful for it.

“Okay, thank you Skeppy.” He mumbled out with a small genuine smile.

“No fucking problem dude.” Almost like that, before Darryl could get his last word in, he zips out of the room and shuts the door behind him. Oh, he knew exactly what he was doing there.

“I- Goodness, have you no manners! Watch your dang mouth will you!” He yelled after him before huffing out furiously and slumping down in the bed.

Bad knew deep down inside, for as long as he hung around Skeppy, there were going to be many...many..stressful times like these. And man, was he ready to try and take them on.

✞

  
  
  


_— C.1 END. —_

  
  



	2. Features

It was cold that night.

The window was open and the muggy air from the previous rain had infected the room, taking in a deep breath, Darry felt like he was standing outside in the aftermath of the storm. 

His eyes were locked to the ceiling, taking in every small detail there was on it. It was a popcorn texture, Darryl was able to tell that someone was beginning to remove it from the splotches of chipped paint. There were about five...maybe six areas where the popcorn was gone entirely, it looked really bad. He was foreign to staying in a room that wasn't..well.. good looking. And as high-class as it may sound, it's nothing but the truth. 

But that doesn't matter now, he won't be living that life anymore. Darryl gives himself a mental note, respect what he's got because if it weren't for Skeppy he wouldn't even be in a bed right now. 

Darryl moved the covers high up, till they were brushing gently under his chin. It was still cold.

He tore his eyes from the ceiling and placed them over at the opened window, he should close it, shouldn't he?

The brunette sat up slowly, he was still wearing his day clothes, jeans and all. He felt uncomfortable taking them off in a place he wasn't fond of and based on what Skeppy said, there were more people in the house beside them two. So he'd rather not take the chance of some stranger coming in and seeing him stripped to nothing but a hoodie and boxers, Christ, the thought of someone he didn't know entering the room was already terrifying enough.

He peeled away the covers, mumbling a goodbye to the minimum warmth he had. Slowly, the man pressed his feet to the ground and stood upright. The floor under him gave a soft creak, his face wrinkled in response to it. The noise was quiet, yet it felt loud and horrible in his head, though there was nothing he could do. So he carried on with his first task, closing the window.

Despite his hatred for the creaking floor, he pushed himself forward across the room. Stepping over piles of clothes, pushing away a swivel chair gently and hobbling himself over to the opening.

As he reached it, Darryl could feel the harsh blowing of the wind to his face. He hated it, and he wanted to end it so he could at least lay in bed comfortably. His hands moved up, tracing over the window ledge and darting his eyes from it to the outside world. 

It was dark, only a few building flights brought a glow to the night. Just from where he was, he could tell he was on the second story of some type of apartment complex. It was high but nothing frightening, which Darryl was massively thankful for. If— for some weird reason— he had to jump in a fast escape he could possibly do it here, suffer a minor leg injury sure but he wouldn't be dead. Darryl shook his head, hoping he wouldn't have to resort to that, so far things were nice... Skeppy didn't seem like a scary person, if anything the other was highly annoying and bothersome with his crude language. He exhaled out through his nose, watching his own fleeting misty cloud of air in the night. Yeah, it was cold alright. 

His gaze moved from building to building as he stared out the window, maybe he'll watch the night before shutting the window, the cold was bothering but nothing serious. Once his nose began to get stuffy, then he would shut the window. So he probably had a few minutes to spare before that happened. 

The moon shined bright through the clouds, the light from it kissed at his skin, highlighting most of his features while darkening the others. Cars drove past on the street, a few strangers walked across the sidewalk in full winter attire, at one point Darryl saw a drunken couple staggering by— nearly getting hit by a car as they walked across the street— their hands locked together and sharing their breath in a weak and slurred fit of laughter. Weird...

Darryl leaned closer to the window, a hand of his came up to let his head sit at the palm of it. The brunette found himself distracted by the nightlife, never in his life had he seen this part of the world. It wasn't as lively as the day but it still had a life to it... Darryl liked it.

His attention was snapped away quickly from the outside view, instead, his eyes were locked to the door. It was opening with a noticeably loud creak, did every part of this apartment creak and groan?

Skeppy had emerged from the door, first looking to the bed, maybe searching for Darryl's presence. Since he wasn't there, the tan-skinned man gave the room a quick sweep with his eyes, finally, they locked onto Darryl. Well then.

There was an eerie moment of silence from both of them.

Until Skeppy broke it with an awkward grunt from his throat.

"Can't sleep?" He spoke softly, quiet even. Darryl couldn't be more thankful for that.

He gave a nod, shifting in place and screaming mentally at his stiff shoulders to relax. "Yeah, it was a little cold." A little was a bit of an understatement. 

Skeppy seemed to hum in response, nodding as he shut the door behind himself. "It's either cold in here or annoyingly hot, honestly." He chuckled. "If you're cold why haven't you shut the window, that'd solve like, the entire problem ya'know." 

He makes a good point, Darryl should've closed the window by now, but he hasn't. He was in trance by the night and its liveliness. 

Darryl gave a shrug. "Forgot to." 

" _ Forgot to _ ?" He parrots back. "Yeah, sure." It was obvious Skeppy was skeptical of his answer, and Darryl doesn't blame him honestly. 

Skeppy joined him by the window, making Darryl shift away from him as he stuck his head out the window. His hair danced in the wind, the moon shined to his face, the night was bringing more life to him than the daylight could ever do. Helplessly, he stared at him in awe. 

"Do you stargaze?" Skeppy abruptly spoke, his eyes resting shut with a laid back smile on his lips. Darryl tensed more, he wasn't expecting a question like that. 

"Er, no... why?" He replied hesitantly, moving back closer to him to try and bring his gaze to a different part of the outside. There was a billboard on top of what Darryl could assume was another apartment building, maybe a motel. 

"Just curious." He shrugs, lifting his head up and reopening his eyes. Darryl briefly stole a glance at him, curious in what else he had to say. "I do, I usually do it whenever I'm bored. Dunno why, but it's really fucking fun." Skeppy continued on after a minute, his brown gaze was locked to the sky, almost held hostage by how beautiful it was. Darryl gave him a nudge as he scoffed, mumbling a  _ 'language' _ while doing so. He received a short laugh in return, it made him smile.

"Didn't take you as the type of person to stargaze," Darryl began, also joining Skeppy in looking up to the sky. 

"What? What makes you say that?" He spoke as if it offended him, deep down, Darryl knew that was far from reality.

"Well, you did steal my wallet and hold me at _ knifepoint _ , that's a starter," Darryl replied easily, in the corner of his eye he noticed Skeppy puff his cheeks out in a pout. "You also threatened to  _ kill me _ ." He finished.

Skeppy fell silent, and just for a second Darryl felt like he did something wrong. "Well, I wasn't actually going to. T'was just a bluff to make you scared." He mumbled, lowering his head a little. There was a bit of guilt in his actions, Darryl just didn't know if they were genuine or not, he barely knew the guy. Yet, he gave him a reassuring pat on the back, just one. "It's fine, you apologized and gave me my wallet back, now all you have to do is pay for new glasses for me." 

Skeppy pulled his eyes away from the sky, now looking to Darryl with dread. " _ Your glasses— _ "

"I'm  _ kidding _ ." Darryl interrupted, he didn't necessarily need them...well- no that's a lie, he really does need them but he doesn't want to tell Skeppy that and make him more guilty than already is. "I can see fine." He lies through his teeth, it felt like fire, Darryl never lies. As Skeppy gave him an okay look and turned his head away, Darryl could feel his stomach turning and mixing with his already regretful feelings. He was taught better than this.

"Then you can see all this then from here, right?" Skeppy chirped in excitement, he leaned out the window more to point his finger up at the sky to a cluster of stars. "Aren't they cool?" 

Darryl craned his head to the direction Skeppy pointed to enthusiastically, he squinted, having difficultly seeing exactly what he other saw. "They are." He responds softly. 

Skeppy didn't give a reply after that, Darryl figured he was too lost in his own world to say more, which was fine. He was okay with silence, it made things a lot easier when he wasn't preplanning his next sentence. 

He has long forgotten about the cold, Darryl now had other things on his mind that weren't about freezing temperatures and popcorn textured ceilings. Right now, he was focused on the man next to him. This was Darryl's only chance of acknowledging how the other really looked outside of the rain, his skin was tan of course but also rather rough looking. There were small faded markings on his face and neck, some looked like cuts, others were bruises. Each had a story to tell, Darryl couldn't lie anymore to himself, he did in fact wish to know the story. He wants to know what trouble did Skeppy go through to earn these markings, he wondered if he'd tell if he asked... Aside from his skin, Skeppy had a really good jaw structure, he also had big eyes, big enough to get lost in if he stared too long enough. His hair was wildly unkempt, the lack of the beanie made it evident that Skeppy had twice had much hair as Darryl does. Which was perfectly fine, Skeppy pulled off the look very well, and he admired that. 

The brunette tugged at his bandana, letting it raise up to his nose as his gaze softened at Skeppy's face once more. The night's light was coating his features more, his smiling lips and his wide eyes. His cheeks that bunched up into dimples, the way the wind blew and brushed strands of hair to his face in those sometimes moments. Darryl was beyond blessed that the night could highlight someone's attractiveness so well, better than the day could, it was soothing to his eyes and didn't hurt to stare at. He could tell when Skeppy exhaled and inhaled, the misty air escaping from his nose and drifting circles into the night. 

Darryl wasn't cold anymore, he was actually on fire. His heart ached and his head whirled, something about being so close to someone that was purified by the night's kiss made Darryl uneasy- anxious even. He didn't know what to do, what was he supposed to do? There was nothing to talk about, Darryl hated making the first move on things, and he didn't want this to end. He didn't want Skeppy to leave just yet, no, he was basking in his presence. It was more comforting than before, hearing him discuss his interest before was exhilarating. Under his bandana, he bit his lip, tugging the skin and narrowing his gaze away from Skeppy. He was staring too much for his own good, he needed to stop.

"I've never seen the city like this before," Darryl began, figuring he should make more small talk while he forced his eyes to look to something else. "so... calming and pretty, I never took notice of how much life was still there even in the dead of night." He finished with a hitch in his breathing, he was spilling more than needed from his mouth, but honestly, he didn't care anymore. He wanted to share this with Skeppy.

"How come?" The other replied, still not taking his sights off the stars above them both, twinkling and shining bright. 

Darryl went silent, holding his tongue for just a moment before letting out a heavier sigh, his shoulders instinctively shrugging at the question. "Never stayed up this late, there was nothing to look at back at home, well, that's what I thought. But now I can tell there's so much to look at, and I wish I had done this sooner." 

"Done what sooner?" Finally, Skeppy lowered his head to look at Darryl. Confused and awaiting his reply.

_ Met you sooner. _

"Leave home sooner, I can't believe I missed a lot of these experiences." He chuckles weakly, his lips forcing themselves into a smile just to put on a good look for Skeppy. 

Skeppy just exhales a short laugh, he moves his head out the window and leans back from it by some, Darryl wishes he stayed a little longer like that. "Yeah, you honestly should've. I don't know how you put up with your folk, no offense but just by looking they seemed like complete assholes." He snorts. 

" _ Wha— _ goodness, language. Also, what's that supposed to mean?" Darryl was perplexed by the statement, but he wasn't at all offended, because it was true they were indeed assholes.

"Dude, they always look at you like you aren't even their kid, isn't that just effed up?" He raises an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side and crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't blame you for running away, I would've too if they kept giving me that gross look." He huffs. 

Darryl stared at Skeppy, astonished. He was pretty much right, and Darryl hated that he was. Because now, he had nothing to say in return, he wasn't ready to explain his reasoning for leaving. Skeppy took that hint and laid off on the topic, instead, he moved away to sit at his own bed. "Forget it." He shook his head.

"I wanted to talk to you about a few things, but honestly those can wait till tomorrow, it's really late and I'm tired," Skeppy mumbled, "and I'm sure you are too."

"A little." Darryl nods. He moved back from the window and finally shut it, he moved the curtains over the glass and inched his way back to the bed. "If there's a couch or something, I can sleep there for the night, I feel terrible for taking your bed." 

"What? Aw, dude don't worry about it, it's no big deal. The couch is taken by Sam anyway, tomorrow he'll be gone but for tonight you can stay here still. If you aren't cool with sharing the bed I can easily just sleep on the floor." He uses a thumb to point to the floorboards, which is littered with clothes and shoes. Darryl scrunched up his nose, it was gross.

"No it's fine, I don't mind sharing." Darryl's voice is octave, he doesn't want to sound excited about this- because frankly, he isn't, he's stressed.”Who’s Sam?”

“Friend of mines, really smart, fixed my phone a few times for free. Doesn’t live here, but visits frequently when he gets lonely.” 

“I see.”

Skeppy just gave a nod in return, kicking off his shoes and moving to the right side of the bed. Darryl followed suit, removing his own shoes and sitting to the left side, of course, they were taking different sides of the bed. Darryl didn't have an issue with it, the action made things a little easier for him. He laid on his side and pulled the covers over himself, now that the window was finally shut, he could possibly sleep now.

But he couldn't, not just yet. 

It was silent, everything was still, Darryl could hear his own breathing and Skeppy's too. And if he listened close enough, he could hear his own heart pounding in his chest. Darryl tugs the cover a bit more, holding his side of the sheets above his nose and letting his eyes stare at the wall before him. He felt oddly alright, no more uneasy feelings in him or paranoid thoughts. He wasn't sure if it was because of the window being shut or the presence of another in the bed with him. Their backs were facing one another, and Darryl felt a little dishearted at that, he craved to see Skeppy's face once more. His mind drifted back to the window, where he could take in the other's features again. 

"Hey, Bad?"

"Yes?"

"I'm really sorry about your glasses."

Ah, Darryl frowned. He wasn't sure why Skeppy still hung up on the fact his glasses were gone, they weren't that important to him, he could still see after all. "I accept your apology.." He mumbled, falling into another fit of silence. All Skeppy gave in reply was a small noise of acknowledgment. Darryl could tell just off that, Skeppy was still guilt-ridden from the accident. 

"I mean it, Skeppy. You don't have to be strung on it anymore, I'm really glad you apologized about it, means a lot to me." He speaks up, just enough that Skeppy could hear him entirely. Darryl shifted a little, turning to his back and looking at the back of Skeppy's head. "You've done a lot for me so far, and I don't know how to repay you, but please know that I'm seriously lighthearted by this. The um, bed and the apology, just— thank you _ g'eppy— S-Skeppy— _ " 

Darn, Darryl groans at himself, he didn't mean to mispronounce Skeppy's name like that. His speech was getting fast and impulsive, a bad combination for him.

There was a small snicker from the other side of the bed.

" _ Geppy? _ " Skeppy turned, glancing at Darryl with a smile. "What kind of nickname is that?" He breaks into a fit of giggles, it flustered Darryl beyond belief. 

"I-It was an accident- oh my gosh, leave me alone." He huffs, turning back to face away from him, embarrassed. 

"No no- I'm sorry- I- Geppy-" Skeppy cannot contain himself, he breaks out into another round of giggling and uncontrollable wheezing. "Y-You were being so nice and serious- and then- oh my God-"

"You know what? I'm done talking to you now!" Darryl insisted, huddling the covers over himself again and purposefully being as harsh as he could with it.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry!!” He snorts out, turning back to his own side and quieting down. “Goodnight, Badboyhalo.”

Darryl still can’t take the name seriously, he rolls his eyes and sighs. “Goodnight…” There’s a brief pause. “Geppy.” 

And just like that, Skeppy’s back to giggling.

Tonight was a goodnight, indeed.

_— C.2 END. —_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa an update? Yes. Almost lost all motivation for this, but at 2am at night I finally got it back.
> 
> Enjoy my work? Follow me on twt please! @Pulsing_Guts 
> 
> Also didn't get a chance to beta this so sorry if there were typos and errors, lmk in the comments so I can go back and fix anything that needed to be fixed! 
> 
> Also whoa this got 300+ hits?? Ty???
> 
> Join the Dream Team Safe Space discord I'm in if you like my works!! https://discord.gg/gkkenyZbXG


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